Colonel Rutherford's Colt [Deluxe Edition] [Hardcover]

Lucius Shepard (Author), J. K. Potter (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

[This is the MP3CD audiobook format in vinyl case.]

[Read by Robertson Dean]

The itinerant gun show draws together many subcultures from the margins of society: survivalists, Aryan brotherhoods, and the team of Rita Whitelaw and Jimmy Roy Guy, dealers in collectible arms. Rita has made Jimmy an exception to her general disdain for whites, for Jimmy's got a storytelling ability that borders on mystic vision, which he delights in applying to the weapons he acquires. When Jimmy makes an agreement with the widow of white supremacist martyr Bob Champion to broker her husband's infamous Colt .45, the widow stipulates that he keep it out of the hands of Champion's disciple, who considers it a powerful talisman for his racist agenda. Jimmy and Rita run afoul of ''the Major,'' but they're not intimidated by his veiled threats. The gun has launched a story, and when Jimmy begins a story, one way or another, he's bound to see it through.

--This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When an itinerant gun dealer wields a prized Colt .45 revolver, fiction bleeds into reality in this offbeat bit of Pacific Northwest noir from the versatile Shepard (Aztechs). Business partners Jimmy Roy Guy and Rita Whitelaw, who specialize in weapons with unique histories, hit pay dirt at a Washington gun show when the widow of a slain white supremacist allows them to sell the weapon her husband was carrying when he died. Her only stipulation is that the gun not fall into the hands of Raymond Borchard, her husband's disciple, who has fixated on it as a talisman that could catalyze his racist agenda. The real loose cannon, though, is Jimmy himself. A burn-out with a vivid imagination, he delights in spinning elaborate stories around the weapons he sells. The tale this gun inspires-one of infidelity, dishonor and revenge set in Cuba in the early 20th century-so overwhelms him that he begins acting it out with what proves to be deadly accuracy. Is Jimmy a closet psychopath, or has he channeled a secret history for the gun that resonates eerily with present events? The question is moot, since Shepard shows all the other characters in some way living with delusions about their identities and ambitions no less fantastic than Jimmy's tale. Though not as sharply focused as Shepard's more speculative fiction, this short novel showcases his gift for psychologically penetrating character study and supports a historical story-within-the-story as evocative as anything he has written.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

''Fiction bleeds into reality in this offbeat bit of Pacific Northwest noir from the versatile Shepard . . . This short novel showcases his gift for psychologically penetrating character study and supports a historical story-within-the-story as evocative as anything he has written.'' --Publishers Weekly --This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 171 pages
• Publisher: Subterranean Press; First Edition edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931081743
• ISBN-13: 978-1931081740
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,176,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucius Shepard hits his stride (AGAIN!), April 2, 2003

By 

Snockgrass (Xiamen, China) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colonel Rutherford's Colt (Hardcover)

I have just finished reading 'Colonel Rutherford's Colt' in the e-book format (it's been available for months) and have ordered a copy of this book in the signed limited HB edition (newly released) for my library... Lucius Shepard has always been one of the greatest American sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre writers, but he seems to have become an even more formidable mainstream writer. (By calling Lucius mainstream, I simply mean than the fantasy elements in his writing, though they still exist, are less overt now than in the past). Fans of Lucius' older work should rest assured that 'Colonel Rutherford' is populated by the same type of underworld-connected lowlifes that appear in his previous stories, but now these characters are reaching a much higher level of credibility. In 'Col. Ruth.' we follow a used gun dealer named Jimmy, who specializes in selling weapons once used in famous crimes, around to various swap meets where he and his girlfriend rub up against other gun dealers and customers, and in particular one gun (a Colt once owned by a deceased racist militia leader) that must not fall into the wrong hands... You will continue to think about these characters long after you have finished reading and the plot has the kind of subtle, creepy twists and surprise ending that will have you rereading the book to look for clues. A great story...